When we think of a burglar, we think of a stereotypical ski-masked man dressed head to toe in black, crouched down, creeping in the dead of night, carrying a professional break-in artist's ideal toolkit. As common a culprit, however, is the average-looking person dressed in average street clothes on your average workday, entering via an unlocked door or a brick-induced hole in a glass door. There's no time of day in which your home is immune from burglaries; there are no standards of practice when it comes to how a burglar breaks in. Of the reported 2 million commercial and residential burglaries reported to the U.S. Department of Justice in 2009, most (61 percent) were forcible entry. 32.6 percent of burglars found the easy way in, and the balance represented foiled attempts [source: U.S. Department of Justice].
If
your home is burgled, the financial losses you'll sustain are bad
enough. The trauma and unease in its aftermath, however, is a bell that
can't be un-rung, and many burglary victims never again feel safe in
their own homes.
The best way to handle burglars is to pre-empt their plans with proven preventive measures. Burglars look for, and sometimes create, specific characteristics and situations when choosing where and how to break in. In the sections to come, we will look at what stamps a bull's eye on your home, methods used for break-ins and 21st century tools that burglars use for finding their next victims.
10. Find an Ideal Target
Burglars aren't going to bother with targets they don't think will allow them to get in and out undetected, loot-rich. Ideal targets are homes with indications no one will return soon. A plastic-wrapped phone book left all day on a driveway, a note left on a front door for an afternoon package delivery -- these are examples of the types of things burglars look for.
The best way to handle burglars is to pre-empt their plans with proven preventive measures. Burglars look for, and sometimes create, specific characteristics and situations when choosing where and how to break in. In the sections to come, we will look at what stamps a bull's eye on your home, methods used for break-ins and 21st century tools that burglars use for finding their next victims.
10. Find an Ideal Target
Burglars aren't going to bother with targets they don't think will allow them to get in and out undetected, loot-rich. Ideal targets are homes with indications no one will return soon. A plastic-wrapped phone book left all day on a driveway, a note left on a front door for an afternoon package delivery -- these are examples of the types of things burglars look for.
Signs of life are likely to put off
would-be thieves. They can be fooled by strategic lighting and loud
broadcasts (radios consume less energy than TVs,
and talk shows sound like conversations in the home). At night, lights
and a radio or TV on timers keep homes looking occupied into the wee
hours, deterring burglars and keeping families safer long after bedtime.
Bold burglars peer through windows hoping to spy silver services, plasma TVs and baseball card collections. Best bets: Move valuables out of sight, and keep stashes safe by closing window coverings while away.
To keep a house safe while on vacation:
Most burglars aren't looking for trouble. The typical burglar avoids confrontation, has scant interest in an arrest and fears physical harm. Homeowners can use these concerns to their advantage, using lighting, alarms and dogs to discourage thieves from breaking in.
Bold burglars peer through windows hoping to spy silver services, plasma TVs and baseball card collections. Best bets: Move valuables out of sight, and keep stashes safe by closing window coverings while away.
To keep a house safe while on vacation:
- Place lights on timers. Lights burning 24/7 scream, "Empty house!"
- Ask neighbors or friends to perform daily checks and collect newspapers and mail.
- Given last names, anyone can find most phone numbers. Names on mailboxes and un-retrieved packages encourage possible thieves to park outside, dial the number and see if someone picks up. Any time the house will be empty (vacations, workdays), best use call forwarding so someone always answers.
Most burglars aren't looking for trouble. The typical burglar avoids confrontation, has scant interest in an arrest and fears physical harm. Homeowners can use these concerns to their advantage, using lighting, alarms and dogs to discourage thieves from breaking in.
After
dark, the best first defense for single-family homes is lighting, and
lots of it. While interior lighting implies people are home, blazing
exterior lights discourage a closer look. Undeterred daredevils may dash
toward sides or back doors obscured from view. Those hidden areas,
characteristic of houses at ends of cul-de-sacs, are best secured with
bright lights and extra security measures on doors and windows.
Motion-sensor lights save energy costs and deliver effective,
flee-inspiring startles to jumpy criminals.
Next, imply a threat. Lawns and window signs advertising alarm systems deter many break-in attempts. Should burglars ignore warnings, the resulting sirens will prompt quick and possibly empty-handed exits.
The third line of defense (and one of the best) is the barking dog. Dogs chained outside in a fenced yards offer little threat. Burglars' encounters with unanticipated indoor canines, however, add factors out of burglars' control. No time or energy for pets? Many homeowners swear by their fake four-legged friends. Imagine a motion sensor triggering a bright light accompanied by the loud barking of up to five angry dogs.
Ever wonder how burglars actually enter homes? Next, we look at the number-one point of entry.
8. Find a Good Opening
House Key in a Haystack If you must hide a spare key, try this: The key under your flower pot opens a storage shed on your neighbor's property. Among the many items inside the shed is toolbox, at the bottom of which are a dozen spare and random keys, one of which opens your home. The key under your flower pot is unlikely to be tried on the neighbor's shed. Your key is hidden among what appears to be a pile of old spare keys, which are typically deemed old keys of unknown origins. Your key, hidden in this fashion, is not likely to be linked to your house and provides an effective, albeit time-consuming, method for hiding a spare key.
Next, imply a threat. Lawns and window signs advertising alarm systems deter many break-in attempts. Should burglars ignore warnings, the resulting sirens will prompt quick and possibly empty-handed exits.
The third line of defense (and one of the best) is the barking dog. Dogs chained outside in a fenced yards offer little threat. Burglars' encounters with unanticipated indoor canines, however, add factors out of burglars' control. No time or energy for pets? Many homeowners swear by their fake four-legged friends. Imagine a motion sensor triggering a bright light accompanied by the loud barking of up to five angry dogs.
Ever wonder how burglars actually enter homes? Next, we look at the number-one point of entry.
8. Find a Good Opening
House Key in a Haystack If you must hide a spare key, try this: The key under your flower pot opens a storage shed on your neighbor's property. Among the many items inside the shed is toolbox, at the bottom of which are a dozen spare and random keys, one of which opens your home. The key under your flower pot is unlikely to be tried on the neighbor's shed. Your key is hidden among what appears to be a pile of old spare keys, which are typically deemed old keys of unknown origins. Your key, hidden in this fashion, is not likely to be linked to your house and provides an effective, albeit time-consuming, method for hiding a spare key.
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